


Those Words That You Said, They Get Stuck Here In My Head

by Haecceity



Category: Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, Legend of the Seeker, Marvel (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), X-Men Evolution
Genre: Ableism, Alcoholism, Brainwashing, Civil War (Marvel), F/F, F/M, Human Experimentation, Infertility, M/M, Magneto is a terrible parent, Mind Rape, Nazis, Newtonian predeterminism, No happy endings, Non-Linear Narrative, Polyamory, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Pregnancy, SHRA, Serial Monogamy, Suicidal Ideation, appeasement, callousness toward the mentally ill, cloning, disability (chemical imbalance), medication compliance issues, mystical pregnancy, violations of bodily autonomy not covered by the previous tags
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-13
Updated: 2013-12-13
Packaged: 2018-01-04 12:13:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1080884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Haecceity/pseuds/Haecceity
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A very non-linear fusion between Legend of the Seeker, Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, X-Men: Evolution, and Marvel Cinematic Universe.  Focused mainly on Darken (Iron Man), Cara (Ms. Marvel), Richard (Captain America), Chase (Wolverine), Laura (Talon), Lara (Magneto), and Kahlan (Diamondback).</p><p>Spoilers for Winter Soldier, House of M, Civil War and all of Legend of the Seeker</p><p>Ideas are bulletproof but they won't hold your hand in the dark and you can't save what you love by betraying it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Heartless

**Author's Note:**

> Notes: I have a lot of thoughts about this piece that I'll share if anyone is interested. If anything in here is offensive in a way that doesn't seem to be criticized by the text, please let me know. If I can make something clearer, let me know please.
> 
>   
>  **Cast List**
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> Darken - Tony Stark/Iron Man || Richard - Steve Rodgers/Captain America
> 
> Cara - Carol Danvers/Ms. Marvel || Kahlan - Rachel Leighton/Diamondback (with Domino's Mutation)
> 
> Zeddicus - Dum Dum Dugan || Serena - Jack and Nick Fury (recast as CCH Pounder)
> 
> Chase - Logan/Wolverine || Laura - Laura Kinney/Talon
> 
> Lara (the Confessor from "Denna" who Confessed a whole village) - Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto || Shota - Dr. Stephen Strange/Sorcerer Supreme
> 
> Mika - Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch || Walter - Henry Hellrung/Anthem
> 
> Raina - Bobbi Morse/Mockingbird || Berdine - Clint Barton/Hawkeye
> 
> Rikka - Jessica Drew/Spiderwoman || Garen - Thor
> 
> Giller - Hank Pym/Yellowjacket/Ant-Man || Ulicia - Ophelia Sarkissian/Viper
> 
> Du Chaillu (The woman Richard rescued from prison in "Light") - Peggy Carter || Anna - Sharon Carter/Agent Thirteen
> 
> Michael - Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier (Marvel Cinematic version) || Raph (Lara's mate in "Denna") - Magda
> 
> Jeziah (the wizard who created the potions in "Elixir") - Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic || Denna - Whitney Stane/Madame Masque (Iron Man: Armored Adventures version)
> 
> Dahlia - Natasha Romanov/Black Widow || Jennsen - Pepper Potts/Rescue
> 
> Tara (One of the three Confessors Kahlan convinced to return to their duties in the Midlands in "Sacrifice") - Charles Xavier/Prof. X || Salindra - Synthia Schmidit/Sin
> 
> Malray - Pietro Maximoff/Quicksilver || Amfortas (the past wizard in "Revenant") - Dr. Erskine
> 
> Kieran (the past Seeker in "Revenant") - John F. Walker/USAgent || Maia (possibly the mortal incarnation of the Creator) - Phoenix/Jean Grey
> 
> Flynn - Julian Keller/Hellion || Annabelle (the Confessor in "Touched") - Stepford Cuckoos
> 
> Josephine (Annabelle's mother) - Emma Frost/White Queen || Sister Verna - Agent Brand
> 
> Alana (the Confessor who had one hand in "Sacrifice") - Jason Wyngarde/Mastermind || Nicci - Johann Schmidt/Red Skull
> 
> Prince Fyren (MC!Kahlan's mate in "Torn") - Norman Osborne/Green Goblin || Queen Corah ("Cursed") - Dr. Bruce Banner/Hulk (with a plot point from She-Hulk)
> 
> Rachel ("Puppeteer") - Jubilation Lee/Jubilee (recast as her actress in the first X-Men movie) || Princess Violet ("Puppeteer") - Kitty Pryde/Shadowcat
> 
> Some Marvel characters are not recast

Zero time

There were a lot of variables that led to the confrontation on the steps of the Memorial. Later, Darken would try to categorize them all and prioritize and calculate anything that could have happened differently. Anything.

***

Variable One:

The most obvious; the relationship between Richard and Kahlan. It was a matter of chemistry, a matter of the heart. Difficult to quantify. They could have looked at each other and felt nothing but then they wouldn’t be Richard and Kahlan and Darken might as well try to add up whatever would have happened if they existed in a universe without gravity.

Easier to work with information already known. If Richard and Anna had still been together, Richard would have hesitated long enough to break up with Anna to be with Kahlan. A few days either way and the window of opportunity flexed. But that might not be enough.

Variable Two:

Almost as obvious; what if Richard had never traveled forward in time in suspended animation? If he had died of old age or war injuries or simply been too experienced to fall for Serena’s Heroes Speech, he would not have been an Avenger. He would not have had the eye of the world as only Captain Seeker could. He would not have been as tempting a target. Then again, that could have made Darken a higher priority.

Variable Three:

His own actions. He vacillated between placing these as third or first. They were what he had the most data on. He knew his thought process, why he’d done the things he’d done. In intimate, excruciating detail he knew the weight and taste of every mistake he’d made. Every error in logic. Every decision made on incomplete or just flat incorrect intelligence.

If he had known… Things would have been different.

Variable Four:

The founding of the Avengers was a nexus of choices by thousands of people. Without HYDRA, there would not have been a threat that would make a force like the Avengers seem necessary. Without HYDRA, the Avengers would never have been more than a last ditch scenario deep in SHIELD’s databanks.

Variable Five:

Amfortas’s decisions in creating the serum that made Captain Seeker possible, made HYDRA possible.

The connections wove back and forth. A web of destruction Darken was no longer sure how to escape. No longer sure he would if he could.

Minus Eighteen Months

Darken had lost track of how many shots Cara had had. Not that it mattered. Her altered biology metabolized alcohol at a higher rate than his could keep up with. He felt the world slowing in that way that meant he should probably stop drinking but he wanted to sleep so he poured himself another.

“You never answered my question,” Cara said, arching her back and stretching.

“Which one?” Darken asked, savoring the scent of his whiskey.

“Why you hate magic,” Cara leaned over the arm of her chair and propped her chin on her free hand. “Isn’t sufficiently advanced technology indistinguishable from magic?”

“Thank you, Clarke, but no.” Darken said, frowning. “It may be indistinguishable but it is not identical.”

“Nitpicking.”

“No. It’s the point.” Darken set down his glass on the lower corner of the Avengers emblem inlaid on the table. “Everything has gravity; for example, hydrogen atoms to gas giants. You have a gravitational pull, I have a gravitational pull, whether we have the tools on hand to measure it or not. Our gravity doesn’t just vanish. Even aboard the _Damocles_ the gravity is technologically altered, not disappeared. I still want to know how the ship does that but S.W.O.R.D. is being proprietary and-”

“Magic.” Cara said firmly.

“But magic breaks all the rules. Gravity is in effect always and at a constant rate. Except when magic says no. The speed of light can be bent or shifted but it’s at a constant rate. Except when magic decides otherwise. I may not know quite how the _Damocles_ works but it works according to the rules. I don’t know how to duplicate the accident that made you a human-Kree hybrid but it worked according to biochemistry and physics. Giller can tell you exactly how he alters his size. No matter how much Shota waves her hands and talks about everything seeking balance, magic doesn’t follow rules. It isn’t repeatable.”

“And that’s terrible?” Cara smirked.

“Absolutely. What’s the point of a universe where you can’t find the answers?” Darken rubbed the edge of the table absently.

“Some would say the mysteries of the universe are what make life worth living.” Cara laughed.

“They are.” Darken touched her jawline with his forefinger. “Why do you think I build rockets?”

“Because your true love is to go fast and blow things up along the way.” Cara took his hand gently in hers and kissed his knuckles.

“Not all of us can fly without assistance. In fact, damn few of us can fly without assistance.” Darken groused.

“And I can shoot energy beams from my hands.” Cara grinned brightly.

“So hot.” Darken pulled her into a kiss while she chuckled. Every muscle movement she made in his arms reminded him that she could snap him like a twig if she forgot that he was merely human. 

New York, New York 1942

Richard Cypher would always have vivid memories of the Great Depression. He would always remember the way his mother cried when the money ran out at the end of the month. Worse, he would remember the look of resignation on her face whenever he came down with some new fever, some new stomach ailment. Being weak never bothered him. Knowing that his mother didn’t eat because he was weak, that was torture.

The final irony was that Mary Cypher died of a fever that failed to carry off her sickly son.

Richard never forgot these things. He carried them even closer than the small bag he’d taken with him when Michael’s mother decided that she could stretch her budget for one more boy. He’d packed his father’s medals, a picture of his parents together (George in his army uniform with his arm in a sling and Mary in her nurse’s uniform), a half dozen paperbacks, and his clothes. The paperbacks slowly succumbed to a war of attrition. This one had coffee spilled all over the best parts. That one was thrown in a puddle by a bully. The clothes he outgrew slowly, remaining small for his age.

The first time he attempted to volunteer for the army and was laughed out of the office, he let Michael buy him a drink. Michael found him hours later staring at his father’s medals.

“You’re not him.” Michael said, gripping Richard’s shoulder. It never really occurred to Richard that Michael wasn’t criticizing him.

If he had accepted that truth, things would have been different.

Minus Three Years

Serena Fury, director of S.H.I.E.L.D., tapped her foot and glared at Raina Morse. “This is not acceptable Agent Morse.”

“No ma’am.” Raina folded her arms behind her back.

“The precogs are going nuts. S.W.O.R.D. is giving us the runaround.” Fury’s glare was a palpable force. “Find something. Anything.”

“You want me to approach the Sorceress Supreme?” Raina asked.

“If you feel that is the best option.” Fury waved Raina away. “Take backup.”

Zero Time

The rise in the mutant population was not unforeseeable to any half-assed statistician. These days when one said “Mutant” it referred to a specific pair of mutations. Technically, Darken’s blue eyes and Cara’s blonde hair were merely recessive mutations occurring with greater frequency in a specific group that migrated out of Africa at a specific time. Long-established mutations with a history of being favored by eugenicists but showing very little advantage over the dominant genes except in studies showing that people with less pigment in their eyes made better snipers.

Kahlan’s eyes were blue.

But, those were now mutations with a lowercase “m.” Mutants with an uppercase were the subject of the debate. The X-genes, as they were called, had been exhibited in the general population going back centuries. Sinister claimed to be centuries old and made a good case for it. Stories from the trenches of World War I to the jungles of Vietnam spoke of a pair of soldiers who did not fall when shot and healed all injuries, no matter how grievous.

Demons, angels, aliens, beings from an alternate dimension, there was someone who believed in each. As Professor Xavier and Dr. Grey had explained, Mutants were a quirk of nature. A quirk of nature every global power sought to either destroy or control. From the now defunct Weapon X program to HYDRA to S.H.I.E.L.D. to the fucking American Government, everyone wanted a living super weapon.

Darken couldn’t say he was completely at ease with the idea of a Mutant who could read or alter his thoughts but nothing excused men like Frederick Amnell. From the time their mother died until Viper “rescued” them, Kahlan and Dennee spent most of their time either locked in the pantry or in front of a series of faith healers and congregations to pray the demon spawn out of them. 

Under other circumstances, Kahlan was the sort of Mutant who could have been a poster girl for acceptance. She was pretty, more than pretty. She had enough feminine grace that she wouldn’t make men like General Grix piss themselves unless she wanted to. Unlike her sister, her Mutation did not change her physiology. Ulicia had trained her hard but Kahlan standing still was virtually indistinguishable from any other beautiful woman with a gun. She was articulate and good at keeping a semblance of calm. Perfect for normalizing the image of Mutants.

Instead, under Ulicia’s tutelage and the name Ulicia gave her, Diamondback, Kahlan had developed a reputation as an anarchist and assassin. She was never as bloodthirsty as Dennee but her Mutation pushed her accuracy to superhuman heights with nearly any projectile weapon. Working for HYDRA had secured her a reputation and brought her into contact with Captain Seeker. 

Her relationship with Richard was a security nightmare. Everyone was so worried about Richard spilling something in pillow talk (to be fair, the man had no subtlety) or HYDRA gunning for Kahlan and tripping up an Avengers mission or HYDRA using her as a sleeper agent. In hindsight, so very right and so very wrong.

In hindsight, Mika was the one they should have kept a better eye on.

Poland 1944

Lara Eisenhardt screamed as the current coursed through her. All around her magnetic objects lifted as one and began whirling. She didn’t notice the moment things changed because her cell was on the wrong way side of a two-way mirror and thoroughly soundproofed to ensure that her tests wouldn’t discomfort the guards. A rain of dust fell on her face as she gasped for air.

A man with big brown eyes stood in the doorway and shouted something indecipherable. When she failed to respond, he tried again in broken German. “You prisoner boy no more being.”

There was a shout and the current stopped. Lara sagged in her restraints, sweat dripping down her face. She warily watched the man. He wasn’t tall but he held himself like he was dangerous. His big brown eyes were kind but Shaw could show the same type of kindness. His brown hair wasn’t cut in a military style, too shaggy. Lara trusted that more than she trusted his eyes. She bared her teeth at him.

A tall, slender man bumped the one watching her out of the way. “We are not here to harm you, child.” He spoke with a heavy British accent but reasonable fluency. “I am going to unlock your-” He held up a small stone key, looking her directly in the eyes with a steely resolve. “My name is Zeddicus Zorander. You may call me Zedd. That’s Richard.”

Lara hated herself for the way she whimpered when she could finally lower her arms. Tears and sweat mixed as she leaned against Zedd. 

“Chase!” Zedd called, a soothing arm around Lara’s shoulder. Richard stepped out and another man entered. This one was a few inches shorter than Zedd and much bulkier. Chase had dark brown eyes that held the same resolve as Zedd’s, black hair, and skin a few shades lighter than his eyes. “Chase is on loan to us from ANZAC. He’ll take good care of you.”

She allowed herself to be transferred to Chase’s grip. Taking small steps on aching feet with her head down, Lara peripherally noted the other members of the team releasing other prisoners. Test subjects. An American woman with skin darker than Chase’s took the lead with several of the more ambulatory inmates. The trip was a blur of fatigue and pain. Lara couldn’t quite say how she ended up in the back of a truck next to a boy her own age.

“Raph Lehnsherr,” the boy introduced himself, holding out a hand. He was a good-looking boy, dark hair and strong features.

“Magneto,” she said tiredly, taking his hand.

“No. Who are you really?”

“Lara Eisenhardt,” she said for the first time in months. 

“Good to meet you, Lara,” Raph said, smiling.

They were married three years later.

Minus Fourteen Years

“Get a grip on her!”

“Hold it steady! Steady!”

“She’s got a hand loose!”

“Sedative! We need a sedative now!”

Mika screamed with rage as she felt the needle jab into her neck. A wet gurgle erupted from the man nearest her. “Mother!” she shouted, her voice rusty from disuse. “Mother!” Her head hung lower and her voice was nearly a whisper as the drugs whited out her hearing. “Mother.” She didn’t even feel it when her hands were bound again.

Minus Three Years

Raina chose Berdine for backup, of course. The two of them had been partners for years in both senses. Between Berdine’s bow and Raina’s staff, they felt comfortably armed. Except when facing people as powerful as Shota, the Sorceress Supreme. Raina had her first raised to knock on the door when it silently slid open.

“Come in, Hawkeye, Mockingbird.” Shota’s voice floated out with an unearthly overtone.

The voice made Raina’s hackles rise which made her angry. She was an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. and nothing should make her feel the soul-sucking dread that voice conjured. “Stop with the tricks, Dr. Strange. We’re from S.H.I.E.L.D. and we really need to talk to you.”

“Very well,” an utterly human voice grumbled.

Knowing it was a trick turned Raina’s anger to irritation. Nodding her head toward the door, Raina led Berdine into Strange’s lair. On the inside, it was a New York apartment. A tasteful white bookcase filled to overflowing with ancient books and scrolls leaned up against one wall beside an old armchair and a coffee table buried in yet more arcane writings. Checking the ceiling for traps revealed an extensive set of chalk symbols done in different colors. Raina was sure they meant something but she was trained for fighting physical threats, not magical ones. 

The detail she missed the first time and then wondered how it wasn’t the first thing she noticed, was an open door. From the position and shape of the door, the architect had intended it to open into either a study or a bedroom. Instead, the door was open to reveal a sunny clearing in a wood that practically shouted “Enchanted Forest.” Dr. Strange stood beside a mystical bird-bath wearing a snug ankle-length black dress. Rumor said Shota Strange was well over sixty years old. Raina wouldn’t have put her a day over thirty-five. A really hot thirty-five.

“Come into my parlor,” Shota said, spreading her arms wide.

Minus Three And A Half Years

“A word of warning,” Cara said, pulling off her bright elbow length gloves. “I don’t do monogamy.”

“What a coincidence,” Darken said, smirking. “Neither do I.” Darken began the complicated process of unlatching his armor. Next time he redesigned the armor he was going to make sure he could get out of it more easily. Maybe something that would fit into a briefcase for portability.

Cara whistled at him. “Eyes over here, pretty boy. If we’re going to do this, your attention will be on me when you’re with me.” In one smooth motion she removed her spandex top, breasts falling free.

Germany, 1943

“I’ll get you loose,” Richard promised, digging around in the snow bare-handed. He swallowed hard on the bile that rose in the back of his throat. His saliva tasted off and he tried not to stare at Michael’s leg where it bent the wrong way or his arm where it was pretzeled against the rocket housing.

“Richard,” Michael said, his breath gurgling deep in his chest.

“And when we go home you can tell everyone about how I rescued you for once.” Richard said, struggling to get Michael’s arm free.

“It’ll be alright, Richard.” Michael said. “It’s alri-”

The rocket blast knocked Richard clear. They didn’t find Michael’s body.

New York, 1937

“Leave him alone!” Michael said, pushing Mark into a puddle. “Pick on someone your own size.”

Richard pulled his book from the slushy street to find the pages illegible.

“Come on,” Michael said, tugging Richard to his feet. “Let’s get you inside.”

New York, 1964

“People will never accept us, you know that.” Lara put her hand in Tara’s. “They’re afraid of us.”

“But if we can show them there’s nothing to fear-” Tara Xavier began.

“There is something to fear.” Lara said firmly. “There is always something to be afraid of.”

“But if we stand between them and danger-”

Lara kissed Tara. “Your naïveté is quite charming. But,” Lara punctuated her statement with a kiss on Tara’s neck. “If they see something frightening and see us being able to overcome it, then they become afraid of _us._ Being perceived as dangerous is a communicable property. Being harmless is not.”

“We’ll show them together.” Tara cupped Lara’s face between both hands. 

“Sooner or later they’ll wake up and realize what we’re capable of.” Lara said sadly. “After that all of the so-called normal people will be baying for us to stand in line so they can tattoo our identification numbers on us, brand us like cattle. Because to them we are not and never will be people.” She stared into the middle distance, her frown turning more intense. “They’re not going to give us rights for appeasing them.”

“We’ve learned, we’ve evolved. We’re not going to repeat the mistakes of the past.” Tara rubbed soothing circles on Lara’s back.

“I wish I had your faith in humanity,” Lara said, snuggling into Tara’s side.

Minus Three Years

Raina stepped gingerly over the threshold, her right hand gripping her bow tightly enough that her knuckles were the same shade of white as the storybook clouds piling in the idyllic blue sky over the Enchanted Forest. “The precogs are throwing up all kinds of warnings.” Raina said, her voice not quavering at all. Berdine had her back.

“Something is coming to rock the foundations of the worlds.” Shota said calmly, stirring the water with a finger. 

“We were hoping for something a little more concrete,” Berdine said, blue eyes flashing. Raina took a moment to appreciate how the ambient light of the Enchanted Forest made Berdine’s wavy, brown hair glow.

“It’s difficult to get a good view from here.” Shota gave them a look one degree shy of a glare. “I have to stay here for now. There are Things trying to break into our world. So long as I’m here in my Sanctum Sanctorum I can hold them off. I am doing more to protect the world right now than you do in five years.”

Raina and Berdine shared a look.

“Anything else?” Shota asked, looking down her nose at them.

“A detail. Any detail.” Raina said.

“Mutant Menace.” Shota said. “But that could mean anything.”

Raina drew her bow at a flicker of movement. A chipmunk glared at her with one big, bright eye. She relaxed the bowstring slowly, lowering the arrow point to aim at the dirt.

“Cute little rascals.” Shota said, raising one eyebrow. “But don’t ever try to take their food from them. They fight hard and those teeth were made to crack nutshells.”

“Thank you for your time.” Raina said tightly, putting her arrow back in her quiver.

“Don’t think so loud. Especially not curses.” Shota said, staring into her scrying pool.

The corners of Berdine’s mouth twitched up as she rolled her eyes. Raina nodded sharply to Shota and left the woodland grove.

1942

When Richard saw Du Chaillu for the first time, he was fascinated by her big brown eyes. She was young and flirtatious but with the edge that she could and would eviscerate anyone who took unwanted liberties. She was smart and cute and she made it very obvious that she thought Richard was adorable.

Before he met Du Chaillu, Richard met Amfortas. The scientist behind the serum befriended Richard through the course of the training and selection. “I like you. You remind me of a friend of mine.” He told Richard one night after too much Schnapps.

Du Chaillu followed Amfortas around with a clipboard being efficient and competent while the other men tried to get her attention. Somehow, Richard’s uncertainty seemed to make her even more interested in him. That had never been how it’d worked back home.

By the time he was chosen for the experimental procedure, he’d managed to say three complete sentences to Du Chaillu. Their first date was in a dive where she bought him a couple of drinks. She was still brave and smart and pretty and competent. So he went on another date with her.

Minus Five Years

Richard awoke with a gasp. He raised his hands in front of his face and made fists. Sitting up slowly, he took deep breaths. He put his feet on the floor and stood.

“How do you feel, Captain Cypher?” Serena fury asked, watching him impassively.

“Fury,” Richard nodded. “How long has it been?” When she told him, he blinked hard. “You look good- what rank are you anyway?”

“Director. And thank you.” Serena said with her usual poker face. “I’m in charge of Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division.”

Richard ran that through his head a couple times. “Spooks?”

“Yes, Captain Cypher, spooks.”

“Well, good for you.” Richard smiled at her. He paused for a moment and his smile wavered. “What happened to-” his throat tightened, cutting off the words.

“Chase dropped off our radar twenty years ago after joining a secret project in Canada. Zedd still works for me. He helps train the new generation of spooks.” Serena ticked off on her fingers. “Michael is listed as KIA. Panis Rahl drove himself and his wife Tarralyn off the road after drinking, leaving his son Darken in charge of his company. Darken Rahl is a narcissistic, spoiled shit. I’d steer clear of him if I were you. Du Chaillu,” Serena paused briefly. “Du Chaillu went on to have a long career with AUSTINT. Her niece Anna works for me.”

“Good for her.” Richard said past the lump in his throat.

“I’m sorry for your loss.” Serena said, her face falling into unpracticed lines of compassion.

“Thank you. Ma’am.” Richard tried to smile. 

“We should start getting you acclimated to life now.” Serena said.

“Flying cars, robots, and entire meals in pill form?”

“No but some things are much stranger than that.” Serena gave Richard a rare, real smile.

Minus Zero

Darken wiped under his eye. His fingertips were wet. When he looked down he saw blood on his hand.

Vinnytsia, Ukraine 1956

Lara bought her vegetables at the market under the glares of the shopkeep and his wife. They had definitely overstayed their welcome but Magda’s wagon had broken an axle. As she hurried back to the camp, she turned a corner and smelled smoke. She began to run.

Minus Five Years

The first time Richard saw Anna, she looked so much like Du Chaillu. Her nose was longer and her mouth was wider but her laugh was like listening to Du Chaillu. She took him to the firing range and it seemed so natural to flirt with her. It was the easiest thing in the world to make her smile at him.

Du Chaillu would have understood.

Minus Two Years

“I have a surprise for you.” Cara greeted Darken as he came in the door.

“How did you get in here?” Darken asked, frowning.

“Jennsen let me in.” Cara said. “She thinks I’m a stabilizing influence. Not that you’d ever admit it.”

“What’s the surprise?” Darken asked a little warily. He’d just been sparring with Garen and while he liked Cara’s games, some of them were a little taxing.

“Ta da!” Cara bounced, grinning as Dahlia Romanov stepped out from behind the bedroom door wearing nothing but her belt.

“Red Widow, to what do I owe the honor?” 

“It’s my birthday.” Cara reminded him. “Miss Potts already gave me your gift. It seems suspiciously like you had her pick it out for you. I thought maybe we could try this for my birthday.” Cara put her arm around Dahlia’s bare waist as they watched him.

“I’m game.” Darken said hoarsely.

Minus Three Months

“This can’t be what I think it is,” Darken said, horror dawning. “This is- this is an impressively stupid idea for such smart people.”

“It’s science,” Jeziah said harshly. “It’s what we were hired to do.”

“He has a point,” Giller said, hunching over an instrument panel.

“What idiot signed off on this?” Darken demanded, flipping through the paperwork. “What if it gets loose? What if Garen isn’t dead? She’ll kill us herself. What safety precautions are being taken?”

“Relax,” Giller said. “It’s lobotomized.”

“That’s not as comforting as you think it is.” Darken snapped at him.

“Face it, Rahl.” Jeziah spoke angrily. “Garen is dead and she isn’t coming back. And even if she were somehow alive, she’s not helping us right now. And she’s an alien, Rahl, an alien. Her kind battered the Ice Giants into submission eons ago. They’ll understand that we humans have to do the same to protect ourselves. And if you hadn’t been banging her, would you even care?”

Darken had had a bad feeling even then. But he didn’t say that cloning Garen without her permission could only lead to bad things because she was partly a magical creature and science would never contain her. He didn’t say that other Asgardians might take a dim view of one of their own being treated as a lab rat. He didn’t say that experimenting on intelligent aliens who had the ability to smite Earth into next week was another choice that could only lead to bad places. He didn’t even challenge Jeziah on how human he was after his trip through that cosmologic radiation storm or whether Giller had been taking his meds regularly. He didn’t say anything.

Two weeks later the clone regenerated the neural connections destroyed in the lobotomy and the first thing it attempted to do was seek vengeance on its creators. Twenty-three personnel died before it was killed.

If he had known where it was leading, Darken would have chosen differently.

Minus Four Years

The first mission of the Avengers was not a spectacular success. Serena wouldn’t have even attempted it if it hadn’t been for the impending Chitauri invasion. Giller was sullen because he was being forced out of his lab. Corah was sullen because she’d been forced out of her Third World clinic. Dahlia was sullen because she was good friends with Raina and Raina was missing. Garen was sullen by nature. Richard was overly earnest but also a little sullen about being manipulated back into the field. 

Darken was himself.

Somehow they survived it and became friends. That had to be a statistical fluke of some kind. It certainly couldn’t have been any sort of benevolent higher being smiling on them.

Vinnytsia, Ukraine 1956

“Anya,” Lara murmured, stroking her daughter’s hair. “Sweetheart.” She rocked, holding the little girl close.

“Love, she’s dead.” Raph said gently. 

“I know!” Lara shrieked. The location of every shred of metal was vividly, painfully clear to her. She could feel herself starting to move them and tried to stop. “They killed my baby.”

“The authorities are saying the fire was an accident.” Raph said, his hands shaking with rage. “That we kicked over something in a fire and it spread.”

“It’s happening all over again,” Lara said, her voice dead.

“At least she never felt anything. She never-” Raph blinked hard. His eyes, already red from the smoke, were the color of Lara’s rage.

Lara couldn’t comfort herself that way. Anya had smothered in the smoke. She might not have burned but she had died alone, without air. Lara closed her eyes and saw the gun barrel pointed at her mother’s head and then the red spray of blood and brain matter. She fiercely kissed her daughter’s forehead and began singing in Hebrew.

Minus Twenty-Eight Years, Mount Wundagore

“The implantation more than took,” Anferoth said, gently moving his stethoscope over Lara’s abdomen. “Twins.”

Lara cupped a hand over her belly button. “Twins,” she repeated.

“So far they seem healthy. Come back next week.” Anferoth smiled at her.

Haifa, Israel 1962

The first time Lara saw Tara, a thrill ran through her from the top of her head to the tips of her fingers. Then Tara’s eyes met hers and Lara met the most magnetic personality she would ever encounter. The attraction was beyond reason, beyond anything Lara had felt before.

“I’ve been looking for you,” Tara’s voice filtered softly into Lara’s mind. And deep down, Lara felt the truth of it in the marrow of her bones.

Later, Lara would realize the depth and breadth of Tara’s Mutation. Later she would wonder if she felt the way she did about Tara because the American wanted her to.

That wasn’t what drove them apart.

Minus Twenty-Two Years, Transia

“I finally found you,” Lara breathed, gathering the pair of five-year-olds into her arms. They squirmed and whimpered, reminding her that she was a stranger to them. “I’m your mother.”

Malray looked up at her suspiciously. “Our mother is dead.”

“No, sweetheart. I’m right here.” Lara said, her voice thick and eyes dry.

“I hate you!” Mika screamed. “I hate you. You scare Papa.”

“You were stolen from me when you were babies.” Lara said desperately. “I’ve been looking so long for you.”

“I hate you!” Mika repeated louder.

“Mama?” Malray asked doubtfully.

Minus One Year

Mika gripped Walter’s hand tightly enough that he could feel the bones grinding together. They waited for the doctor to return. “Twins run in my family,” she told Walter. “Maybe we’ll have two boys.”

“I’d like that,” Walter said. “They’ll be as wonderful as their mother.”

The doctor looked very somber as he came back in the room. “I have the test results and depending on what you wanted, I have either good news or bad news. You’re not pregnant.”

“No,” Mika protested. “I am. My period stopped. I have these headaches. I-”

“You have a hormonal imbalance,” the doctor said gently. “You might not be able to conceive.”

“No,” Mika repeated sharply and stormed out.

Minus Twelve Years

Mika struggled in the chair while Lara soothingly hummed to her. “Everything will be alright, Mika.” She glared at Mastermind. “In just a few minutes, everything will be alright.”

Mastermind put her hands on Mika’s temples and concentrated. As Lara commanded, new memories flowed into Mika. Instead of antiseptic white walls, she remembered picnics with her mother and brother. Instead of orderlies strapping her down, she remembered her mother holding her while she confided her first crush. Instead of rounds of sedatives, she remembered love and support. Mastermind released Mika. “It is done.”

Lara placed a hand on Mika’s forehead and smiled at her daughter. “I love you.”

“I love you too, mama.” Mika said, smiling.

Minus Twenty-One Years

Lara drove slowly away from the institution, her heart heavy. She had done everything in her power to save Mika but she couldn’t save the girl from her own anger and her own Mutation. This was cruel but this was best. Under sedation, the girl would never hurt anyone. Her anger fueled her Mutation and her Mutation was too destructive to be allowed free reign.

Minus Four Years, New York

“How can you side with them?” Lara demanded angrily. Even Malray looked stunned.

“Because this isn’t right. These people have done nothing to harm us.” Mika said. “And the Avengers are trying to make things better.”

“Against your own mother?” Lara asked harshly.

“Yes,” Mika said, rubbing her temples where a headache raged.

Minus Seven Months

“The children aren’t real,” Shota said in the same tone she might use to ask for extra ketchup with her fries.

“I was just in the room with them.” Darken said. “They’re loud. They pee. That diaper smelled completely real to me.”

“Scarlet Witch’s magic created those boys. And in doing so, she called on something not human. As both a surgeon and a sorceress, I can tell you that humans are incredibly complex. She has given those constructs every quirk and nuance real children would have. Her Mutation alone can’t support something like that. Humans are barely equipped to understand our own complexities much less that of two entirely separate people. She had to call on something much, much more powerful than herself to bring them into being. You have to convince her to let them go.” Shota said. “They’re a weak spot in our reality.”

“How?” Richard demanded.

“I don’t know.” Shota deflated. “I tried to prevent this. I warned Xavier that letting Magneto raise the twins would end in misery but she’s blinded by her view of that terrorist. She still thinks the two of them can join forces to usher in an era of Mutant-Human cooperation. She refuses to see-”

“What does this have to do with Mika?” Darken asked impatiently.

“Mika’s Mutation is slowly drilling a hole in the barrier between our world and the prison of an entropic deity called Chthon. You need to make her stop.” Shota said. “You need to take away her babies. Removing them from her immediate area might work but a better strategy would be to get her to stop the spell she’s using to sustain them. On some level she has to know what she’s doing. Get through to her. Then get her a cat.”

“We can’t do that to her,” Richard objected.

“You do physics,” Shota told Darken. “You tell him what about entropy.”

Vinnytsia, Ukraine 1956

The babble of voices in the pub fell to silence as Lara walked in. She knew exactly who to look for. Everyone did. “You started the fire,” she said, walking up to three men.

“Yeah, what of it, gypsy?” one of the men grunted.

“We didn’t know the girl was in there,” another said quickly.

“She’d have grown up to be a thieving gypsy too.” The first blustered angrily. “You should thank us she was spared from that.”

“I’m Jewish,” Lara said, feeling her heart chill as she watched the talkative one sweat.

“Oh, a polite thief.” He bared his teeth at her. “Rob us with paper and banks.”

Lara’s expression didn’t change. She reached for the nearest sources of iron and pulled sharply. She didn’t bother to wipe the greasy red mist from her face before leaving. Without looking left or right, she simply walked away from Vinnytsia and the three corpses sitting around the table.

Minus Ten Weeks

Darken came home and poured himself a drink. He drank it slowly, watching himself in the mirror and thinking about the car accident that had killed his father and murdered his mother. He heard Cara behind him though he couldn’t see her in the mirror.

“Where have you been?” Cara asked, voice low and dangerous.

Turning around, Darken noted the duffel at her feet and the dress Air Force uniform. “With Giller. He’s had a rough day. He’s getting paranoid that Osborne is messing with his medication so he started mixing his own in the lab. Had to pry him off the ceiling today.”

“Garen.”

“Yes, Garen.” Darken took a long swig, feeling entirely too sober for this argument. “She can’t really complain if she’s dead and if she’s not dead, then she left us with one hell of a mess.”

“You wouldn’t say that to her face.”

“Again, she’s dead.”

“This is exactly the sort of thing we signed on to prevent. The. Exact. Sort. Of. Thing. How long have you known?”

“Two weeks. Project’s been in the works since pretty much the moment Garen died.” Darken said wearily.

“Two weeks. Unbelievable.” Cara shook her head, blonde braid swishing. “What good are we doing if we can’t even prevent grave robbery like that abomination?”

“What’s the other option? Join Richard?”

“At least Richard is doing something! Not letting Fyren Osborne plunder the corpses of our friends!”

“No, he’s just sticking us up against the hard place.” Darken said sarcastically. “All that publicity about how superheroes can’t be trusted to follow the law sure does make everything safer.”

“Clone abominations don’t make things safer either!”

“I know that!” Darken roared. 

“This is mad science and you find it absolutely fascinating. That’s why you won’t stop it. You enable them just to see what happens.” Cara said scornfully. “And you talked me into it.”

“I take it you’re leaving.” Darken said, finishing his drink.

“I will not be part of this. I can’t stop you from exploiting the teammates we swore we were going to protect and be there for but I sure as hell don’t need to stay for it.” Cara said, shouldering her duffel. “Goodbye, Rahl. It’s been an education.”

“You think Osborne will let you go that easily?”

“Agent Sauventreen is recalling me to the _Damocles_. As she _is_ my superior, Osborne doesn’t get a say.”

“So, not joining Richard then.” Darken smirked.

“Congratulations. You’ve pushed away everyone in a position to help you. With your wealth and skills that’s quite an achievement.” Cara stalked out the door.

“Enjoying the show, Madame Stane?” Darken asked after he heard the outer doors whisk shut.

Denna deactivated her chameleon device. “You let her get the last word. You’re getting soft.”

Darken poured himself another glass and pointedly didn’t pour one for her.

Minus Seven Months, Genosha

“My daughter needs help.” Lara said softly, standing behind Tara’s wheelchair so she wouldn’t have to see the other woman’s face.

“You can’t bring her here,” Tara said quietly. 

“This island should be a sanctuary for all Mutants,” Lara protested.

“She can’t come here as she is,” Tara insisted, turning her wheelchair around. “We have to think of the people already here. No one knows what Mika’s limits are.”

“She isn’t Phoenix,” Lara snapped.

“She’s more like Maia than you want to acknowledge,” Tara said sharply.

“We could collar her.”

“Your own daughter.”

“If it will keep her safe.” Lara said honestly.

Tara stared at Lara in horror for a moment. “She isn’t Anya either. You couldn’t collar her without my help and I can’t leave here.”

Lara tried to think of something to say but they had worn all their arguments out decades ago.

Minus Four Months

Giller sat next to Darken, balancing a glass of orange juice and a sandwich. “You know, I’ve been thinking.”

Darken turned to look at Giller, not liking the tone of the other man’s voice.

“It’s just one little pill,” Giller said, holding a dose of Prozac between his thumb and forefinger. “Just take it and everything in my brain changes. If I don’t take it, I’ll have mood swings and violent outbursts. If I do take it, I can’t change size or it will kill me. But if I don’t change my size and I take it, I can keep my cool and work on my projects and talk to my ant farm.

“Which got me wondering. I have two futures right now; one where I take the pill and go about my day and one where I don’t take the pill and I have mood swings.”

Taking a drink of water, Darken was glad they were alone in the kitchen. He wasn’t sure whether Giller had checked for privacy or had stopped caring for the moment.

“Schroedinger never actually performed his experiment on cats, you know.” Giller said. “It was a thought experiment to demonstrate that quantum physics had real world application to objects we interact with. Right now I’m living in a probability wave. Maybe I’ll decide not to take the pill. Maybe a supervillain will destroy this kitchen before I get a chance. But do I really have a choice? I can’t decide when a supervillain will strike. The half-life of the medication lasts weeks. I am still influenced by yesterday’s dose of medication. These thoughts are not the thoughts I’d be having if I hadn’t taken yesterday’s pill. Taking the pill one day makes taking the pill the next day more likely. Unless the brain chemistry is mismatched, in which case taking the pills is discontinued as a matter of survival.”

Opening Extremis, Darken scanned for any bugs nearby.

“I don’t control my brain chemistry. I take the pill and the pill alters it but I don’t control how. My behavior while medicated is drastically different from my unmedicated behavior. Circumstances could arise and I could be denied access to my medication. Then I would be forced to behave in unmedicated patterns. I could attempt to compensate but that is, in itself, an unmedicated behavior pattern. 

“Different medications have different effects based on the user’s brain chemistry. A medication that makes me more rational could have made me manic if my brain chemistry were slightly different. Or more depressed. There is no choice involved, the chemicals simply react with no more regard for my well-being than the Krebs Cycle. Those chemical reactions make thoughts whether I want them or not.

“When I choose whether or not to take the pill, is that really a choice? Do the chemical residuals from previous doses make the choice for me? Am I just a machine of chemicals?”

“Take the damn pill, Giller,” Darken said wearily. He reached over and squeezed Giller’s shoulder.

Minus Seven Months

Tears filled Mika’s eyes as grief scalded its way out of her tear ducts and a bitterness coated her tongue. In her mind, two sets of memories existed side by side. In one set she was held a helpless prisoner of an asylum terrified of her. In another she had a loving mother who taught her why Mutants needed to be put first. 

Her headache stopped.

Looking out at the world through a blur of rage, Mika reached for what mattered most to her. But they weren’t there because they weren’t real. But she could make them real. She whispered, “No more Mutants.”

And it was so.


	2. One Quick Pull

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: I have a lot of thoughts about this piece that I'll share if anyone is interested. If anything in here is offensive in a way that doesn't seem to be criticized by the text, please let me know. If I can make something clearer, let me know please.
> 
>   
>  **Cast List**
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> Darken - Tony Stark/Iron Man || Richard - Steve Rodgers/Captain America
> 
> Cara - Carol Danvers/Ms. Marvel || Kahlan - Rachel Leighton/Diamondback (with Domino's Mutation)
> 
> Zeddicus - Dum Dum Dugan || Serena - Jack and Nick Fury (recast as CCH Pounder)
> 
> Chase - Logan/Wolverine || Laura - Laura Kinney/Talon
> 
> Lara (the Confessor from "Denna" who Confessed a whole village) - Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto || Shota - Dr. Stephen Strange/Sorcerer Supreme
> 
> Mika - Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch || Walter - Henry Hellrung/Anthem
> 
> Raina - Bobbi Morse/Mockingbird || Berdine - Clint Barton/Hawkeye
> 
> Rikka - Jessica Drew/Spiderwoman || Garen - Thor
> 
> Giller - Hank Pym/Yellowjacket/Ant-Man || Ulicia - Ophelia Sarkissian/Viper
> 
> Du Chaillu (The woman Richard rescued from prison in "Light") - Peggy Carter || Anna - Sharon Carter/Agent Thirteen
> 
> Michael - Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier (Marvel Cinematic version) || Raph (Lara's mate in "Denna") - Magda
> 
> Jeziah (the wizard who created the potions in "Elixir") - Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic || Denna - Whitney Stane/Madame Masque (Iron Man: Armored Adventures version)
> 
> Dahlia - Natasha Romanov/Black Widow || Jennsen - Pepper Potts/Rescue
> 
> Tara (One of the three Confessors Kahlan convinced to return to their duties in the Midlands in "Sacrifice") - Charles Xavier/Prof. X || Salindra - Synthia Schmidit/Sin
> 
> Malray - Pietro Maximoff/Quicksilver || Amfortas (the past wizard in "Revenant") - Dr. Erskine
> 
> Kieran (the past Seeker in "Revenant") - John F. Walker/USAgent || Maia (possibly the mortal incarnation of the Creator) - Phoenix/Jean Grey
> 
> Flynn - Julian Keller/Hellion || Annabelle (the Confessor in "Touched") - Stepford Cuckoos
> 
> Josephine (Annabelle's mother) - Emma Frost/White Queen || Sister Verna - Agent Brand
> 
> Alana (the Confessor who had one hand in "Sacrifice") - Jason Wyngarde/Mastermind || Nicci - Johann Schmidt/Red Skull
> 
> Prince Fyren (MC!Kahlan's mate in "Torn") - Norman Osborne/Green Goblin || Queen Corah ("Cursed") - Dr. Bruce Banner/Hulk (with a plot point from She-Hulk)
> 
> Rachel ("Puppeteer") - Jubilation Lee/Jubilee (recast as her actress in the first X-Men movie) || Princess Violet ("Puppeteer") - Kitty Pryde/Shadowcat
> 
> Some Marvel characters are not recast

Minus Zero

Darken realized it wasn’t his imagination. He _could_ hear Kahlan screaming.

Minus Seven Years

The sniper rifle was almost as tall as Laura when she stood it on its butt. The pieces she had brought up one at a time. For some reason, no one questioned her about what she carried in her bright purple backpack with the picture of what she’d been told was a pony (it looked nothing like any pony she’d ever seen) on the back. People bared their teeth and told her what a cute little girl she was.

Aligning her scope, she identified the best shot and waited. She didn’t think. She watched people come and go on the street. Whenever someone crossed in front of her scope, a tiny piece of herself she’d left alert would wonder what would happen if she shot that person instead of her target. Would Ulicia make her kill Dr. Kinney? Would they kill her?

But she didn’t shoot the bystanders. The Presidential candidate took the podium and with one quick pull she ended his career and started her own.

Minus Three And A Half Years

Kahlan giggled as Richard led her into a dimly lit bar. She had a baseball cap pulled low over her face and her hair back. Richard was dressed in the clothes he wore to work on his bike and a baseball cap of his own. She watched with excitement as the not quite legal cage match got underway, sitting in Richard’s lap. She snatched what scraps of time they had together without scrutiny like she was starving for him.

In the Mansion, someone was always watching her. Someone was always waiting for a sign that her relationship with Richard was a sham. In places like this, they could be themselves. Slowly though, she noticed that Richard was paying more attention to the fight than he usually did. As she paid attention to the fight, she noticed that the winner was good, professional good. He soaked up blows like he was filled with sand.

After, Richard walked up to the winner and grinned. “Chase! Is that you?”

Chase paused and looked at him. “Do I know you?”

“Yeah,” Richard seemed to realize where they were. He slipped his arm through Kahlan’s. “You used to.”

“Pleasure to meet you,” Kahlan offered her free hand.

Chase groaned and picked a beer off the bar, dropping a handful of bills from his winnings. “I had an accident; fell off my bike a few years back. No memories from before then.”

“Chase, you’d walk off anything a driving accident could do to you.” Richard said.

“Let’s go outside,” Chase said. He held himself stiffly all the way out of the bar. “Explain yourselves,” he said in the parking lot.

“You fought in World War II. We ran some missions together. You were my friend.” Richard said.

“I don’t remember you,” Chase muttered into his beer.

“You helped me with,” Richard flicked a glance at Kahlan. “Some trouble. Director Fury would be glad to know you’re alive.”

“I’m not so sure of that.”

“You-”

“I’ve got someone on my trail, calls himself Sabretooth.” Chase said harshly.

“I would consider it a repayment of a debt if you let me help you.” Richard said quickly. He offered Chase a card.

“Avengers,” Chase read.

“I think you’d make a good addition to the team,” Richard said sincerely.

“I’ll think about it,” Chase said moodily.

Minus Three Weeks

“You can’t do this!” Giller protested. “We need Dr. Banner’s help. She’s been our friend for years.”

“Yes and her mutation is continuing. She spends less and less time as Corah and more and more time as the Hulk. The last time she was in the field, she nearly killed the helicopter pilots shadowing us.” Darken said. “We can’t trust her to remain in control.”

“You can’t trust her or you can’t trust me?” Giller asked.

“This has nothing to do with-”

“I’m erratic and I can’t call on my powers. Of course this has to do with that.” Giller scowled. “You don’t trust me.”

“It’s just some nanotech so we can turn off her powers remotely if something goes wrong.” Darken protested.

“I know how I’d feel if you implanted nanotech in me to keep me from changing size. And I know how you’d feel if someone installed a remote off switch for your armor.” Giller said. “And if you do think she’s a potential problem, do you want to make her more angry?”

Minus Fourteen Months

Laura ducked into the bar through the back door. She watched Chase take his opponent down with an uppercut and her hands spasmed into fists. Before she had completely planned her approach, she was in front of the MC. “I want in.”

“You old enough to drink sweetheart?” he asked, eyeing her. “You betting for or against the Wolverine?”

“I want to fight him,” Laura said, maintaining eye contact.

“No way. No one wants to watch a grown man beat a child in a bar. Or no one wants to pay money to watch which is the same thing as far as this establishment is concerned.”

“I’ll win.”

“No one particularly wants to watch a grown man get beat up by a little girl either.”

“Then tell him I’ll be waiting in the parking lot.”

“You’re kind of spooky, kid, but I’ve never seen anyone take the kind of damage he’s taken and walk away.”

Laura wasn’t sure how to answer. She had told the man what she wanted but she couldn’t tell if he understood so she simply repeated, “I’ll be waiting,” and went outside. Above her the night was cold and clear. Around her there was enough ambient light that she didn’t need her night vision goggles to follow the people coming and going. With the patience HYDRA had taught her, Laura settled in to wait until her quarry finally came out.

Nearly everyone had gone, leaving the place almost silent except for the buzzing neon of a beer advertisement and the muffled roar of distant traffic. She scraped her boot deliberately in the gravel and waited for him to turn around.

“I don’t want to fight you, kid.” Chase said, holding up his hands.

Laura kicked him in the sternum. “Get up,” she growled.

He stared at her for a moment before getting back on his feet. This time he was ready when she took a swing at his head, blocking her fist. She continued her onslaught of blows. Any ordinary man would have had broken bones and bruises after the first minute. But Chase simply healed. Every blow Laura struck was erased by his Mutation.

As she followed punches with kicks with jabs, she felt a pressure burning in her chest. Her breath came shorter and Laura didn’t know why. A few more seconds and a strangled howl escaped from her mouth. Her precision never wavered, lessons taught by HYDRA humming through her nerves.

Then she got a nut shot in and Chase hit back. She saw the first punch coming but not quite in time to duck it. Had Laura been an ordinary teenage girl, the adamantium plated punch would have broken her cheekbone. Her Mutation erased the injury as if it had never happened. A strange sensation filled Laura’s gut as she saw the look in Chase’s eyes.

Laura had been right, she was better than Chase. She moved swiftly, putting him into a hold joint by joint. If he hadn’t had his skeleton coated in adamantium, he could have broken his bones, then healed and broken her grip. Instead she used the strength of his bones to hold him down and slowly extruded her claws. She very gently tapped his throat with the two claws on her right hand. “You did this to me,” she said, her voice hoarse and full of something she couldn’t name.

“What?” Chase said, his eyes wide.

Part of Laura wanted to stab down and let Chase’s blood cover her hands. To finally beat the phantom she’d been chasing all her life. “Everything I am is because of you,” she said, her voice raw.

And then she ran.

 

The active Avengers were all gathered around the television set in the recreation room. Berdine sat next to Rikka, the two of them holding hands. Dahlia was absent, on one of her longer missions from Fury. Chase was in Westchester teaching art or something and Mark was with his mother Brigid at the hospital. Laura sat on the opposite side of the room, outwardly calm except for the tips of her claws peeking out from between her knuckles. Kahlan had her hand on Richard’s shoulder as they stared at the screen with equal intensity. Darken had a piece of engine in his hands and tweaked with the bolts as he waited, delicate turnings of the screwdriver in time with the clock. Cara folded her arms and gave the television her best unimpressed stare.

“-following the mental breakdown of Avenger team member Mika Maximoff, the Superhuman Registration Act has taken off. Today it passed into law and was signed by the President.” The reporter said.

“We expected this.” Richard said, taking a deep breath. “We can handle this.”

“-Experts speculated that Mika Maximoff’s breakdown and use of her powers to alter the nature of our reality would lead to a renewed effort at registering Mutants.” The television continued.

“We keep doing what we’ve always done.” Richard said.

“-Our political analysts now say that the Mutant lobby was too powerful and so the House Majority leader took a step sideways, putting restrictions in place on who can join superhero teams and what sort of behaviors those teams can engage in.”

Darken cleared his throat. “I read it. It’s very specific; background checks, regular psych evals, and dental. The team leader answers to the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. on pain of treason charges.”

Berdine pressed a button on the remote and the channel flipped. “-it’s about time someone did something about those costumed freaks. They think they can go around doing whatever they want and anyone who stands up to them is labeled a supervillain. Look at everything Dr. Doom has done for Latveria-” Berdine quickly hit the off button.

“So, we keep going.” Richard said softly. “The X-Men do it.”

“We’re not the X-Men.” Darken said sharply. “We do this mostly out of money I make and donations and we don’t have a pet telepath to clear up banking misunderstandings. That’s what makes us an easier target. They’ll control us through funding like they do every other government agency. Take away our money and we’re just street vigilantes to be rounded up.”

“We have a social obligation to-”

“We can’t do anything if we’re in prison,” Darken interrupted Richard. 

“We can’t sit back and do nothing,” Richard protested.

“We work on showing that we’re not what they think. We work on getting the legislation repealed.” Darken said. “We work within the system to make it better.”

Richard stopped and looked Darken in the eyes. “No. No, I won’t.” He looked at Kahlan for support. “I won’t cooperate with a system of corruption.”

“I joined the Avengers to do good, not have my hands tied with red tape.” Kahlan said, standing straighter. “I’ve worked outside the system before, I’ll do it again.” She looked at Cara who looked at her boots. “Fine,” she said, grabbing Richard’s hand. 

Minus Four Weeks

Darken fired one of his repulsors at Richard’s chest. “Just let yourself be taken into custody.”

“No!” Richard shouted, bringing up his shield to block the blast. 

Dual-wielding two handguns, Kahlan backed Darken into a corner. “We’ll do what’s necessary even if you’re too much of a coward.” She glared at Darken.

Richard put a hand on her left and lowered her arm. “We’re not going to shoot him here.” His big brown eyes were depthless as he implored Darken. “Help us. We can do so much good together.”

Darken wished he had given an answer other than, “Your way is chaos.”

Minus Three Years and Four Months

“Michael, it’s me.” Richard said, blocking a blow from Winter Soldier. “I know you’re in there, Michael.”

Winter Soldier lashed out with his mechanical arm, breathing heavily. The same arm Richard had seen so badly broken in the snow during the war.

“I know you. You’re not a clone and not even Nicci Schmidt and an army of scientists could make you stop being my friend.” Richard said, hatred for Nicci Schmidt boiling off each word. “You protected me from bullies. You gave me advice on talking to girls. You’re like my brother and I am so glad you’re alive.”

Michael stopped in confusion. “Richard?”

“Yes.” Richard said, smiling.

Minus Nine Years

“You see,” Ulicia began, watching the action unfold on the other side of a two-way mirror, “subject X-23 has been exhibiting some resistance. Last week, I gave an order for her to execute a prisoner and she balked.”

“She hesitated,” Dr. Kinney said, not making eye contact with the other woman.

“Close enough,” Ulicia said, studying her green nails. “When I give an order, I expect it to be carried out.”

“Yes, Madame Hydra.” Dr. Kinney said to Viper.

“Good. Fortunately, I have found a way around this difficulty.” Viper pressed a button on the console in front of her. Above it, monitors for heart rate and brain activity filled small screens. “That will release a gas. We’ve been testing it on the subject since we jump-started her Mutation. Her healing factor will correct any injury and she metabolizes drugs too fast for any sort of injection or ingestible to be worth administering. That’s why we must wait until her bones are finished growing before we begin the process of coating her skeleton in adamantium. We will not be able to anesthetize her during the procedure. It will be interesting to see how her body’s rejection of the metal alters her healing factor. It must do something to the Wolverine’s but we have no data on what he could do before the Weapon X program. But,” Ulicia smiled proudly. “The healing factor that makes drugging her food so difficult makes gassing her easy.

Normally, we would worry about a subject her size overdosing or suffocating but now that her Mutation is functioning, she will heal whatever damage the gas causes. As she inhales more of it, she’ll receive a new dose, keeping her under its influence. It’s perfect. Watch.”

Dr. Kinney held very still and didn’t make a sound that might be interpreted as protest while she watched the little girl in the sparring room sprout bone white claws. The heart rate monitor marked a rapid increase and the girl stopped sparring. As the teacher HYDRA had hired to instruct their subject tried to defend himself, the girl simply tore into him with teeth and claws, any blow he landed doing her no lasting damage while each injury he received slowed him down. “She loses precision,” Dr. Kinney noted distantly.

“I can refine her response,” Viper said carelessly. “If she can’t stand up to the strain, we have the makings for more.”

Minus Zero

If there was one thing Darken should have done, it was to shoot Denna in the head.

Minus Ten Weeks

“Still driving my father’s company into the ground?” Denna asked casually, watching Darken drink.

“It’s not your father’s company anymore, Madame Masque,” Darken said, using her code name spitefully. “I bought your share the fair way.”

“If the SEC doesn’t object, it’s the fair way.” Denna said.

“That undermines consumer confidence.” Darken said. “Invisible Hand of the market and all that.”

Denna laughed. “Fyren Osborne requests that you stop blocking his attempts to clean up the prison system.”

“If he were attempting to clean up the prison system, I would say more power to him.” Darken scowled. “Trying to brainwash supercriminals into his own private army does not meet any definition of clean that I know of.”

“You’re just jealous that you didn’t think of it first. You want me to tell him you refuse?” Denna asked coyly.

Somewhere between the anger at Cara leaving and the alcohol in his system, Darken had a lapse of judgment. “Yes. Tell him exactly that.”

“You’ll regret this, Rahl.” Denna said in the same tone she used to use at board meetings when back before a cave in Afghanistan, before an artificial heart and his own weapons jammed in his face, they had made quite a profit selling to all sides of all wars. There was pleasure in her tone; a fulfilling job well done.

“Without a doubt,” Darken said. He watched her leave, found the bugs she left behind, and didn’t figure out what else she’d been after until it was far too late.

Minus Two Weeks

“We have to find some way to take out Rahl,” Kahlan said, pacing their subterranean bolthole. “Without him putting a good face on this, any superhero support for SHRA will evaporate.”

Richard looked over the leaked reports. Human testing. Brainwashing. Human rights violations. He knew where he had seen all of this before and it made him sick to his stomach to think on how little had changed in his unusually long life. “You’re right. Let me talk to him one more time. He was close to Garen. Maybe I can convince him that this dishonors her memory.”

“He doesn’t care about anyone but himself,” Kahlan snarled. “He never did. He’s a pampered child who fights supercriminals because he thinks it’s cool. He flipped out over Titanium Man because someone else was playing with his toys. The first time he ever faced any sort of adversity he nearly wet himself and built a mobile tank to compensate! Stuck-up, privileged, glory hound.”

“Has Cara been in touch?” Richard asked, frowning at the reports.

“Yes and she’s much better off since she left that cheating piece of-”

“Is Agent Sauventreen on our side for this?” Richard interrupted.

“Yes.”

“Good. I have a plan.”

Minus Eleven Months

Richard looked through the pictures of the three dead bikers with a sense of sadness. He was no forensic scientist but he recognized the marks on the bodies. “And you’re saying this isn’t you.”

“No,” Chase said, sighing. With his right hand he made a placating gesture while he extruded his claws on the other hand. “I have three. As you see in these pictures, they were made with two.”

“You could have been holding the third back,” Richard said, playing Devil’s Advocate. “I’ve seen you use only one at a time.”

“Yes, but-” Chase retracted his claws. “I recently met someone with two.” He hesitated reluctantly.

“You met someone who killed three men and walked away, you need to say who they are.” Richard said.

“HYDRA found the Weapon X records.” Chase took a deep breath. “They tried to clone me.”

“Tried? What happened to the other claw?” Richard was concerned. As much noise as Chase made about being able to watch his own back, once he attached to someone, he had difficulty letting go.

“The genetic sample was damaged. They tried twenty-two times to make an exact replica but it always failed to thrive. Then one of the scientists involved got the idea to replace my Y-chromosome with one of her own Xs. That’s why they call her X-23. She’s my daughter, Richard. She’s angry and confused. I’ve been looking for her.” Chase admitted.

“How do you know this?” Richard asked.

“She found me and once I knew she existed, I went digging. I found her mother and she gave me notes on the project. Richard, the things they did to that little girl…”

“We talked about this before, about Salindra, remember. We can’t save the ones who don’t want to be saved and Nicci makes people not want to be saved. Even _her_ daughter.”

“Laura isn’t Salindra. My Mutation makes it hard to brainwash her. She’s just a kid.”

“A kid who just killed three people, Chase.”

“I know but- Will you hear her out?”

Richard took a deep breath and looked Chase in the eye. “Alright, but I warn you, some of the kids we’ve saved haven’t turned out so well.”

“I think that’s a risk with anyone.”

Minus Zero

Darken let himself drop to the ground and didn’t struggle as the cold metal of handcuffs closed around his wrists. He knew he was innocent and there was no way anyone could bury the evidence. He was standing at point blank range and the bullet had clearly entered Richard’s skull from an angle.

Minus Eight Months

“What do you know about boys?” Laura asked, causing both Cara and Kahlan to twitch. 

“Not worth the time,” Rikka snarked.

“Is there a particular reason you’re asking?” Kahlan asked cautiously.

“Chase said I could go to the dance at Xavier’s Academy,” Laura frowned. “I’ve never been to a dance.”

“Mostly it’s a bunch of awkward, hormonal teenagers doing awkward, hormonal activities and thinking they’re either much braver or much more cowardly than they really are.” Cara said. “Have you told whatsisname you like him? It’s a good first step.”

“I told him his overhand punch was sloppy,” Laura said without a trace of irony.

“Keep doing that.” Rikka suggested.

“Or,” Cara said more loudly. “Try saying that you would like to dance with him.”

“What’s his name?” Kahlan asked.

“Flynn.” Laura paused a moment, frowning in a way the rest of them had learned meant she was trying to match words to a concept at the edges of her experience. “I think he may like Annabelle more.”

“If you’ve noticed, then probably,” Cara said as kindly as she could.

“But that doesn’t mean you can’t tell him.” Kahlan said brightly. “I’ll take you shopping; we’ll find you a nice dress.”

“Just don’t expect anything in return,” Cara said hastily.

“Especially not from teenage boys,” Rikka noted.

“I have heard that picking out clothes for social functions takes much skill.” Laura said pensively. “And my rods and cones are skewed so that blues and greens are difficult to tell apart. But I see better in the dark than most people and that is far more useful.”

“That explains the black and yellow spandex,” Rikka muttered.

Kahlan didn’t touch Laura but she stood closer, “I’ll be happy to take you shopping”

Plus Two Days

Fyren put a restraining hand on Darken’s forearm. “I meant it, Rahl. Stick to the script.”

Darken favored Fyren with a tight smile, adrenaline coursing through him. Since that moment of knee-trembling fear when he’d woken up with a battery attached to his chest, he had felt himself sliding toward this moment, this inevitability. Now it he was flying and Fyren’s voice was the whine of a rocket passing close overhead. “I understand completely, Osborne.”

There were several speakers before Darken, a ploy to give his adrenal response time to fade. He wasn’t the least bit drunk. When he took the podium at last, Darken was completely sober. “Richard Cypher was the brother I never wanted. He was a self-righteous, sanctimonious prick. Once he decided something was moral and right, he never shut up about it. On and on about civic duty and responsible citizenship until you just wanted to throttle him for a few minutes’ peace. He was a worse nag than my mother and that woman could go for the Olympic gold medal. Of course, all of her nagging about him drinking too much was right and he got them both killed.

“But we’re here to talk about Richard. Wonderful, morally upright Captain Seeker. He wasn’t always right. He had a charming faith in labor unions that was clearly deeply flawed. I do not support his choice to violently resist the laws passed by our government.”

Darken watched security ease up a little. They were happy if he stayed on script, they were only a little unhappy if he made a spectacle of himself because it diminished his value in the eyes of the media, but now they would have trouble cutting the microphones as he said what they absolutely did not want him to say. “Once Richard told me that I was trying to buy the right to say no by saying yes. He said that we needed to stop asking and start doing. 

“I have another friend who was a captive of HYDRA for many years. They kept telling her to do what they said or they’d kill her mother. After years of using her mother’s life as leverage for some extremely classified and heinous acts, they killed her mother anyway. At the end, all she had to show for it was a dead mother and blood all over her hands.

“The people who administrate SHRA are much nicer and very careful to ensure that there are no legal grounds to claim extortion. ‘Oh, we’d never blackmail you, Mr. Rahl, but wouldn’t it be a shame if someone were to audit Jennsen Potts and find irregularities in her bookkeeping.’ ‘We’d never suggest there was a connection to your behavior but do you think Major Mason is going to get that pay raise she’s due for.’ ‘Do you think Colonel Rhodes will get a commendation, not that this has anything to do with you.’

“There is blood all over my hands. I have participated in unconscionable horrors at the behest of my government. That I had my orders is no excuse. I am doing what I should have done months ago. In honor of the brother I never wanted but had anyway, I refuse to lend my help. The American Government can conduct its atrocities without me.” Darken stared Fyren in the eye.

Minus Thirteen Months

Laura placed a hand against the glass of the tank. Inside floated an embryo in stasis, an exact genetic copy of herself. She spread her fingers, comparing the size of her hand against the length of the embryo. Leaning her forehead against the glass, Laura took a deep breath and tried to forget the taste of Dr. Kinney’s blood in her mouth.

After a long moment she planted the explosives, dodged lasers, and made her way outside the HYDRA facility. She watched the explosion from a safe distance, throat tight and eyes dry.

Minus Four Years and Three Months

“You know this isn’t right, Kahlan,” Richard said softly as the other members of the Serpent Society were led away in handcuffs. “You know it.”

“It’s the way the world works,” Kahlan said, jerking her chin up.

Richard kissed Kahlan. “Join me. Think of all we can do.”

“I can’t abandon my sister,” Kahlan objected.

“Your sister isn’t a little girl anymore. It’s time you started making the right decisions, not just the ones that protect her.” Richard held Kahlan’s wrist. “You know Viper’s way only ends in chaos and blood. Choose life.”

Kahlan took a deep breath in through her nose. “Your teammates won’t trust me.”

“No. Trust is earned.” He frowned sincerely. “I believe you’re strong enough to earn it.”

“And if I’m not.”

“You are.” Richard said. “I’ll help.”

Minus Eleven Months

“Did you kill these men?” Richard asked, holding a series of pictures in front of Laura.

She looked at Chase who gave her an encouraging nod. “Yes,” she said emotionlessly.

“Why?” Chase asked with an equal lack of emotion.

“I do not understand,” Laura said.

“What were they doing before you killed them?” Chase asked, holding Richard back with one hand.

“They were crowding Lee, saying she should go with them.” Laura said. “She didn’t want to. And then-” Laura extended her claws. “I was- I did not want her hurt.” 

Richard stalked around the living room, looking at pictures. “Who are these people?”

“Dr. Kinney,” Laura paused and looked between the two of them before saying with great hesitation, “my mother. She had a sister. That makes her my aunt and her daughter Lee is my cousin.”

“HYDRA will be watching.” Chase said softly.

“Yes and so I must watch for my family.” Laura said intensely. 

Richard’s head jerked up. “You really believe that? You feel… loyalty to these people?” He pointed to a picture of a smiling woman and little girl on the mantelpiece. “Not HYDRA.”

“Dr. Kinney said it was up to me now.” 

“What happened to her?” Chase asked gently. “She hasn’t been answering her email.”

“She-” Laura swallowed and her face lost what little expression it’d had, “she cannot.”

“I’m sorry, kid.” Chase said.

“What do you want most?” Richard asked her, watching closely. “If you had to pick one thing.”

Laura looked at her hands for a moment, unblinkingly she flexed her fingers. Her eyes traveled the room and rested eventually on the picture of a grinning little girl in a soccer uniform.

Minus Zero

Cara had been obsessed with flight and the stars for as long as her parents could remember. Once, when she was five, her parents found her in the yard in the middle of the night with her arms spread out as she ran in circles and made rocket noises. She could name the major constellations before she was eight.

Her parents and her teachers told her she could be anything she wanted to be. It wasn’t true as she soon found out. Cara wasn’t remotely stupid but she couldn’t make the grades to become an astronaut. So she joined the Air Force to fly.

She was a good pilot and saw no use in false modesty to say otherwise. When Yon-Rogg kidnapped her, she put up the best fight an unpowered human could. It still hadn’t been enough.

Leo Dane had been Cara’s coworker for months. They switched off bringing each other coffee and he made paperclip sculptures of birds of prey and left them where she would find them. Fraternization regulations slowed them down for a couple months, but in the end, going to bed with him felt like the natural course of action. Then she was kidnapped by Yon-Rogg and Leo turned out to be an alien and she survived an explosion that should have killed her.

After that, there didn’t seem to be any reason to set aside her desires and passions. She was alive when she should be dead and she could fly unaided and the man who’d opened her eyes and saved her life was an alien in favor of conquering Earth for its own good. Now her superiors sent her to superhero teams and any single team could boot her but now she had options. She didn’t have to worry about DADT or fraternization. Fraternization was normal among superheroes. People expected it, cheered it on, and wrote entire blogs dedicated to it.

She was doing hull repairs on the _Damocles_ when the news came over the comms. She still didn’t believe it when she stood inside the ship watching the video feed displaying Darken approaching Richard with his hands held out and Richard dropping like stone. The blood slowly pooled around Richard’s head.

Cara shook her head and turned to the viewport. Outside she could see the stars. She had always loved the stars. Nearly all the aliens who lived among them wanted humanity dead or subjugated.

Minus Six Months

“Ulicia said something to me,” Laura said, picking up her hand of cards. She paused to let Cara turn the cards so they didn’t face the group. “She said that science made me and science cannot make a soul. Therefore I have no soul.”

“Everyone has a soul,” Kahlan said, placing a marker on the table. 

“How do you know?” Laura asked curiously.

“You just feel it,” Kahlan said with a shrug.

Cara rolled her eyes and raised the stakes.

“What does it feel like?” Laura asked curiously.

“A desire to do good.” Kahlan said. “To make the world a better place.”

“How do you know what’s good?” Laura pressed.

“It’s circular logic,” Cara said. “How does she know good? Because she has a soul. How does she know she has a soul? Because she has the urge to do good.”

“Then what’s your answer?” Kahlan asked.

“Don’t worry about it. Do what you feel is right. You’ll be right sometimes and wrong sometimes.” Cara said. “But when it comes down to it, you can’t do better than your best. No one can.”

Minus Nineteen Months

“Nicci Schmidt! You’re under arrest for-” Richard ducked as a poisoned blade sailed by his head.

“You have insulted my mother for the last time!” Salindra shouted, blonde hair flying as she attacked.

Richard lost precious time fending off Salindra while Nicci made her escape. “She doesn’t care about you!” Richard shouted, pushing Salindra away, willing her to listen to reason. “You can fight this compulsion. You don’t have to be her puppet!”

“It is an honor to serve my mother!” Salindra screamed. “All should bow before her and her vision of a clean world. That you are too shortsighted to see it, Captain, is not my problem.” She twirled one of her dacra. “But I will happily rectify your mistake.”

“Back off!” Anna said, holding her sidearm steady on Salindra’s center of mass. “Come quietly, Sin.”

“Where’s the other traitor? I’ll slice him to bits while my mother watches.” Salindra bared her teeth at them.

Richard recognized Nicci’s vehicle streaking off into the sky. He was prepared for it but he still missed the moment Salindra dove off the roof. He saw from the wide-eyed look on Anna’s face that she had to. “Where’s Michael?” 

They both bolted down the unrailed catwalks Sister Crimson favored in her constructions. They found Michael standing over the corpse of Crossbones, one of Nicci’s foremost henchmen. Winter Soldier glared up at the two of them. “He resisted.”

Anna was the first to approach Michael. She checked Crossbones for a pulse before examining the bruises on his face. “I’ll call Fury.”

Richard gave Michael a hurt look.

“He was one of the men responsible for training me.” Michael said quietly, checking his prosthetic for damage.

“That doesn’t make vengeance acceptable,” Richard protested.

“He resisted,” Michael said quietly, staring intently into Richard’s frown. “This was not murder.”

Anna walked back and took Michael’s organic hand in her own. “This will make work easier for all of us.”

“Sin will take it personally,” Michael said, neither eager nor remorseful.

“She’ll be sloppy,” Anna agreed.

“I need some air,” Richard said, his eyes burning and his lungs cold as he turned away.

Minus Eleven Months

“You can’t send her to Xavier’s School,” Richard said intensely.

“She’s a kid, she deserves the chance to be a kid,” Chase protested. The girl in question was sitting in the Avengers’ rec room, staring at pictures in magazines seemingly at random.

“She does,” Richard said with feeling. If he could give a childhood to Sin, he would in a heartbeat. “But you have to think of the other kids there. It’s one thing to have students like that Alverson kid who could level the campus in a tantrum. It’s another thing to put a trained soldier among children.” Richard put his hand on Chase’s shoulder. “I know you just found this girl and you want to do right by her and you probably feel guilty because you volunteered for the Weapon X program. But Laura isn’t you. What is she going to do the first time she misinterprets a situation and thinks she’s under fire from her classmates? I’ve heard you’ve been bonding with Rachel and Violet. That’s good for you and them but do you think Laura won’t notice that you treat her differently from them?”

Chase subsided into a sullen glare. “You’ve given this some thought.”

“I knew you’d object.” Richard said earnestly.

“She deserves a shot at a normal life,” Chase said, his voice strained.

“She does,” Richard agreed. “But we’re not the ones who took it from her. That’s on Nicci, Ulicia, and everyone else in the project. We are going to give her a family here in the Mansion. It won’t be normal but we’re better equipped to give her what she needs.”

“I thought you might want her to go to jail,” Chase admitted.

“I thought about it. Cara pointed out that it wasn’t fair to unleash a trained supersoldier on a prison population either.” Richard said, smiling faintly. “Kahlan thinks Laura can do more good with the Avengers.”

Chase nodded. “It’ll be good to have her around. The bit about Rachel and Violet, that sounded like Kahlan.”

“She’s my One, Chase,” Richard said.

“Good for you,” Chase said sincerely.

Minus Nine Weeks

“How dare you?” Cara demanded, backing Giller into a corner. She held up a hand, palm out. “I should turn you into a grease stain.”

Giller held his head up. “It was the best I could come up with.”

“The best,” Cara scoffed.

“We can’t make more like Richard. Numerous attempts have been made. They were lucky just to be able to fix the way the serum was attacking his muscles.” Giller stared at her with bloodshot eyes. “Fyren gave me the data. Kieran and Nicci were two of the better outcomes. Even Richard’s body was rejecting it. That’s why he had to go into stasis until S.H.I.E.L.D. worked out a kludge. There was a reason Viper relied on a variation of Dr. Banner’s radiation exposure to jump-start Laura’s Mutation instead of experimenting some more with the serum. That stuff barely works. Extremis has the overheating problem. We can’t reliably duplicate any of the radiation exposures. They bring out Mutations but those aren’t exact and not everyone can adjust as well as Daredevil. The technique HYDRA uses to flash-grow its goons has a high failure rate too. Most of the ones who aren’t Mutants die of rare cancers as their telomeres unravel from the accelerated growth.”

“And Garen?” Cara demanded as tears rolled down Giller’s face.

“We had her tissues on file. She’s a God. It was supposed to be safer.” Giller slumped. “Are you going to kill me?” He wondered if he should be worried that the thought didn’t have an emotion attached.

“No,” Cara pulled away abruptly. “One of these days one of your science projects is going to do it for me.”

Giller slowly folded up, back to the wall of his apartment. He curled his arms around his knees and rocked. Cara stared at him for long enough that he began to wonder if he should look at her.

She turned on her heel and strode away. Giller could imagine the look of disgust on her face.

Plus Five Days

“You’ve been hacked,” the doctor said.

“What?” Darken asked, frowning.

“I can’t say how long ago the hack was done but Extremis has been influencing your hormone levels for more than a couple days.”

“You’re just trying to discredit me,” Darken said.

The doctor rolled her eyes and gave Darken a stack of printouts.

Minus Four Years

Richard and Kahlan kissed passionately in an abandoned subway tunnel.

Minus Two Days

Giller lined his new medication up in a row on the bathroom counter.

Minus One Month

Cara held Dahlia close, nuzzling her neck with unusual gentleness as Cara stared at the ceiling and willed herself not to think too hard.

Vinnytsia, Ukraine 1956

Lara kissed Anya’s forehead one last time.

Minus Four Months

Mika wandered a sleepy Transian village, looking for something she couldn’t name. Her mind consumed by Chthon.

Minus Four Days

“Yes, I think I can remove your compulsion,” Josephine Frost murmured, her eyes closed and hands spread around Laura’s head like a cage for her thoughts. “Not entirely. The pheromones will still make you feel like murdering someone but you’ll be able to decide not to.”

“Good enough,” Laura said hoarsely.

“A couple of us are putting a team together called X-Force. I’d like you to consider joining.” Josephine said.

France 1944

Richard danced a round with Du Chaillu until his muscles spasmed, fighting the effects of the serum.

Chase bought the team a round and they toasted Hitler’s imminent demise.

Plus One Day

Darken stood in front of his closet and decided which suit to wear to Richard’s funeral. He was alone in his house because he’d already sent Jennsen away and Haden with her.

Germany 1945

“I want to be with you, Richard,” Du Chaillu said with tears in her eyes. “But I don’t want you to die to be with me.” She kissed him gently. “Go into stasis or I’ll leave you anyway.”

Minus Zero

Fury watched the assassination on her screen. Saw Richard fall. She played the clip over and over.

Minus Five Minutes

Ulicia spoke the code words into Kahlan’s earpiece. She pulled the sniper rifle up, sighted it, and with one quick pull dropped Richard on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.


End file.
